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Winnie scurried after him, having to stop for a moment as she allowed a mother and her two young kids to pass her by before she continued in his direction.

Of course, he’d vanished by that point, so Winnie took up her search again. Unfortunately, this time, she couldn’t catch a break. She circled the castle once, then twice, all without a single glimpse of him.

She tried watching from the window, then moved to the courtyard, sitting down on the small circle barrier around the base of the tree, breathless but only from excitement. Despite not being able to find him, she still smiled. This was the most fun she’d had in years.

Going through a mental list of rooms she’d already been to, Winnie narrowed down her options as to where to look next. The banqueting hall, the kitchens, the withdrawing room, the watchtower. She’d been everywhere.

Well, everywhere but the dungeons.

Her stomach tightened. The dungeons. Of course that’s where he’d be. She’d been so uncomfortable walking down there before with him that she hadn’t even stepped foot on the floor, remaining on the stairs before ushering Matthew out herself. They were just so creepy. Dark and damp and filled with all sorts of harsh history. So now she had to walk all the way down there to find and tag Matthew? Nope. No way.

And yet, if there was anything she’d learned about him in the last few weeks, it was that he was as stubborn as she was—maybe even more so. If she ever wanted to leave Skipton, and if she wanted to win, she’d have to find him. It was as simple as that.

With a heavy sigh, she pushed herself off the stone and headed for the dungeons. At the top of the steps down, she paused.

“Matthew?” she called out quietly. “I know you’re down there.”

No response.

“I’m not coming down,” she continued.

Still, nothing.

Winnie sighed. He was really going to make her do this, wasn’t he?

She descended a few steps, pulling out her phone and shining her light down the stairs.

“Come on, we’re gonna be late for whatever we’re doing next,” she said. She listened for any sound of him, but there was nothing. “Don’t you wanna come out and teach me more about history and stuff?”

Not even that worked.

She pulled in her lips, taking the remaining steps down to the dark, windowless room.

She shone the light across the space, lighting up as much of it as possible, though the corners remained black.

Still, there was no sign of him.

“All right, you win,” she said. “Just come out already.”

She took a step forward, her heart thudding uncomfortably against her chest as she stared at the dark walls, imagining the type of things that had once occurred down there. Torturing, deaths, hauntings…

A shadow moved in the corner, and her stomach dropped, her heart echoing in her ears. Matthew could stay down there for the rest of his days, for all she cared. She was done.

Spinning on her heel, she had every intention of flying up the stairs to escape whatever ghosts now surrounded her. But when she came face-to-face with Matthew instead, his features half-covered in shadow, she yelped, launching toward him on instinct. Her phone plummeted to the floor, and she reached forward, landing a sound slap on his cheek.

He grunted, backing away from her in shock as she gasped.

“Oh my gosh,” she said, rushing toward him, realizing too late what she’d done. “I’m so sorry!”

To her relief, he laughed. Then she realized what he’d done.

Lit by her phone still on the ground, Matthew straightened, holding a hand to his cheek as he beamed with utter delight at having scared her so badly.

Indignation ran through her. “You jerk!” she said, reaching forward and pushing his broad shoulder back. “You scared me to death.”

He laughed again, lowering his hand from his cheek and reaching down for her phone. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

She snatched her phone from his fingers. “You do realize you just lost the game.”